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When Royal Challengers Bengaluru plays Chennai Super Kings on Saturday, all eyes will be on the Bengaluru weather. RCB needs to win by a specific margin in order to advance to the IPL 2024 playoffs.
On May 18, “heavy rain/thundershowers associated with gusty winds (40-50kph) are very likely” in several areas of Bengaluru, according to the Indian Meteorological Department. This might seriously affect the RCB-CSK matchup.
The past few weeks have seen steady rains in the city. While May 15 and 16 had mostly dry weather, Central Bengaluru, the location of the Chinnaswamy Stadium, experienced rain all night long on Friday and into the morning. On the eve of the match, it has been gloomy all morning, and the weather forecast is for rain and thunderstorms in the evening.
The weather for the day of the match does not appear good either, with accuweather.com predicting thunderstorms and showers in several areas of Bengaluru in the evening. When the match begins at 7.30 p.m., with 100% cloud cover, the temperature is predicted to be about 23 °C. However, it is important to mention that Chinnaswamy Stadium features a top-notch drainage system. It is one of the few fields in India equipped with a subsurface aeration system designed to get play underway 30 minutes after the last drop of rain.
After a surprising run, RCB’s hopes of qualifying for the playoffs will be dashed by a washout. RCB turned the corner by winning their next five games in a row after losing seven of their opening eight games. They now stand at 12 points with a 0.387 net run rate, while CSK is at 14 points with a 0.538 NRR. If RCB achieves a score of 200, they will advance to the playoffs provided they beat CSK’s NRR by 18 runs or reach the mark with approximately 11 balls remaining. They will have a harder task if the game is shortened.
For CSK, the formula is straightforward: they only need to win or be eliminated to advance to the playoffs. Kolkata Knight Riders, Rajasthan Royals and Sunrisers Hyderabad have already qualified.